Who should investigate MH17 crash?

By Jim Hall and Peter Goelz

updated 9:50 PM EDT, Fri July 18, 2014

Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 sits in a field at the crash site in Hrabove, Ukraine, on Tuesday, September 9. The Boeing 777 is believed to have been shot down July 17 in an area of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian rebels.

Australian and Dutch experts examine the area of the crash on Sunday, August 3.

A woman walks with her bicycle near the crash site on Saturday, August 2.

Police secure a refrigerated train loaded with bodies of passengers from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as it arrives in a Kharkiv, Ukraine, factory on Tuesday, July 22.

A pro-Russian rebel passes wreckage from the crashed jet near Hrabove on Monday, July 21.

Wreckage from the jet lies in grass near Hrabove on July 21.

A man covers his face with a rag as members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Dutch National Forensic Investigations Team inspect bodies in a refrigerated train near the crash site in eastern Ukraine on July 21.

Emergency workers carry a victim's body in a bag at the crash site on July 21.

A piece of the plane lies in the grass in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on July 21.

An armed pro-Russian rebel stands guard next to a refrigerated train loaded with bodies in Torez, Ukraine, on Sunday, July 20.

Ukrainian State Emergency Service employees sort through debris on July 20 as they work to locate the deceased.

A woman covers her mouth with a piece of fabric July 20 to ward off smells from railway cars that reportedly contained passengers' bodies.

Toys and flowers sit on the charred fuselage of the jet as a memorial on July 20.

People search a wheat field for remains in the area of the crash site on July 20.

A woman walks among charred debris at the crash site on July 20.

Emergency workers load the body of a victim onto a truck at the crash site on Saturday, July 19.

Emergency workers carry the body of a victim at the crash site on July 19.

A large piece of the main cabin is under guard at the crash site on July 19.

Victims' bodies are placed by the side of the road on July 19 as recovery efforts continue at the crash site. International officials lament the lack of a secured perimeter.

A man looks through the debris at the crash site on July 19.

An envelope bearing the Malaysia Airlines logo is seen at the crash site on July 19.

Armed rebels walk past large pieces of the Boeing 777 on July 19.

Ukrainian rescue workers walk through a wheat field with a stretcher as they collect the bodies of victims on July 19.

A woman looks at wreckage on July 19.

Pro-Russian rebels stand guard as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe delegation arrives at the crash site on Friday, July 18.

A woman walks through the debris field on July 18.

Pro-Russian rebels stand guard at the crash site.

Wreckage from Flight 17 lies in a field in Shaktarsk, Ukraine, on July 18.

A man covers a body with a plastic sheet near the crash site on July 18. The passengers and crew hailed from all over the world, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany and Canada.

A diver searches for the jet's flight data recorders on July 18.

Coal miners search the crash site.

Wreckage from the Boeing 777 lies on the ground July 18.

People search for bodies of passengers on July 18.

A woman walks past a body covered with a plastic sheet near the crash site July 18.

Belongings of passengers lie in the grass on July 18.

People inspect the crash site on Thursday, July 17.

People walk amid the debris at the site of the crash.

Debris smoulders in a field near the Russian border.

Fire engines arrive at the crash site.

A man stands next to wreckage.

Debris from the crashed jet lies in a field in Ukraine.

Family members of those aboard Flight 17 leave Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands.

A large piece of the plane lies on the ground.

Luggage from the flight sits in a field at the crash site.

A couple walks to the location at Schiphol Airport where more information would be given regarding the flight.

Flight arrivals are listed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia.

Debris from the Boeing 777, pictured on July 17.

A man inspects debris from the plane.

Wreckage from the plane is seen on July 17.

A man talks with security at Schiphol Airport on July 17.

Wreckage burns in Ukraine.

A man stands next to the wreckage of the airliner.

People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.

People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.

A piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.

A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.

An airsickness bag believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.

A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.

HIDE CAPTION

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine

<<

<

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

>

>>

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

298 people lost their lives in the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine

Jim Hall, Peter Goelz: There must be an immediate and competent investigation

They say Russia and Ukraine should not conduct investigation; leave it to the Dutch

Hall, Goelz: International community must stand up for safe and secure global travel

Editor's note: Jim Hall is the former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. Peter Goelz is a former managing director at the board. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors.

(CNN) -- Today, we are all mourning the loss of 298 people who died in the tragic crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Ukraine and Russia have been trading blame on who is responsible for shooting down the aircraft. As more details come in, U.S. officials believe that pro-Russian rebels fired the missiles.

Whatever the political repercussions are, the international community owes it to the deceased and their families to conduct an immediate, thorough, competent and, most important, independent investigation of what exactly happened and who is responsible.

We cannot afford to have another aviation accident investigation that appears to stumble at its outset. The families of the 298 innocents on board deserve competence and justice. Most of those on board were Dutch, but there were also Australians, Indonesians, Germans, at least one American and a Malaysian crew. Some of the world's top AIDS researchers were among those killed.

Jim Hall, left, and Peter Goelz

Clearly, given the political tensions between Ukraine and Russia and the disputed area in which the crash occurred, these two countries should not conduct the investigation. According to Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization, multiple parties are entitled to be involved in the investigation. While our own National Transportation Safety Board will have a say, since Boeing in the United States made the aircraft, we believe that the Dutch Safety Board should be the lead investigatory body, and it should be appointed immediately.

The Dutch Safety Board was founded in 2005, is noted for its thoroughness and technical skill, and has conducted many aviation investigations. Its leader, Chairman Tjibbe Joustra, is a career politician and the national coordinator for security and counterterrorism. Given his experience in both aviation and national security, he would be an outstanding fit for the work.

First images of Malaysia Airlines debris

How MH17 will impact AIDS research

U.S.: Can't rule out Russian involvement

U.S. official: Flight MH17 shot down

It is vital that investigators get to the scene of the accident immediately. With unconfirmed reports that Ukrainian rebels are combing through the wreckage and may even have possession of the black box, security at the crash site must be established to preserve evidence and allow investigators to determine how and why this aircraft was shot down.

It is critical that investigators obtain possession of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, the "black box." As the NTSB did in the investigation of TWA 800 using black box data, a sound spectrum study can provide telling information on where on the aircraft and when the explosion occurred.

The Russians, the Ukrainians and the rebels should commit immediately to full transparency and to guaranteeing the complete safety of the investigative team. Anything short of that should bring immediate world condemnation and a denial of landing rights for flights originating in their respective countries.

This is more than just an investigation of an aviation accident. Our global economy is greatly dependent on aviation. People are able to access the farthest corners of the globe for business and family purposes with remarkable speed and unprecedented safety. If there is an ongoing threat that commercial airliners will be shot down, our global commerce will slow to a halt. In the United States alone, 97.5 million passengers flew internationally on U.S. airlines in 2013.

The United Nations is meeting today on the MH17 tragedy, and it needs to show strong leadership to ensure that a true independent investigation is immediately launched.

The world's countries must stand up for safe and secure global travel, and by demanding a transparent and unfettered international investigation, they will take the first step in bringing those responsible to justice.